Archeology This Month

Commemorate Memorial Day

Memorial Day takes place annually on the last Monday of May in the United States. Known as “Decoration Day” until 1882, the holiday began after the Civil War to commemorate fallen soldiers. By the 20th century, its purpose had expanded to honor all Americans who have died in war. Archeology helps us to remember both the reasons behind war and the places where Americans lived, fought, and died for their beliefs. More >>

Archeology and You!

August 25, 2011 marks the 95th birthday of the National Park Service. Its mission is to preserve natural and cultural resources “by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.” Over the past decade parks and programs have turned to the public—a practice called civic engagement—to work towards this mission. For archeologists, civic engagement can mean anything from giving stakeholder communities ownership over research plans, to helping to communicate forgotten or misrepresented histories, to engaging the public in a dialogue about historical manifestations of race, class, and gender, and their transformation into the present. More >>

Celebrate Great Outdoors Month!

June is Great Outdoors Month! Get outdoors to do something archeological, like hiking, climbing, or excavating. Take a hike! Visit Betatakin or Keet Seel at Navajo National Monument, where rangers will guide you through the intact cliff dwellings of Ancestral Puebloan peoples. Wander the grounds at Kingsley Plantation at Timucuan Ecological and Historic National Preserve to see the quarters of enslaved farmers. Circle the mounds at Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, evidence of social and ceremonial activities. More >>

Let's Move Outside!

National Park Week (April 16-24) celebrates Healthy Parks, Healthy People. It's a busy month full of fun reasons to get outdoors. April 23 is Junior Ranger Day. Earth Day (April 22) is also celebrated in April, and some states, such as Alaska, Maryland, and Montana honor April as their state's archeology month. We're full of great ideas to get you out-of-doors and moving around this April! More >>

Celebrate America's Archeology Outdoors!

The America's Great Outdoors and Let's Move Outside programs encourage all Americans to head out-of-doors—just the place you'll find a lot of archeological things to see and do! Participate in an excavation. Take a ranger-led hike to archeological sites. Learn how to knap tools in an outdoors workshop. Wash artifacts in the big tent. You'll get exercise, for sure, but you'll probably learn something that you didn't know about before—and that's good exercise for your brain! More >>

Celebrate African American History Month

Archeology tells us more about the historic contributions of African
Americans to the nation—both as individuals and as groups—at
places and through objects. Experiences of slavery, freedom, uplift, and
political and intellectual involvement are integral to the American story.
Learn more by exploring NPS parks across the nation, either in person
on online. More >>

Celebrate World Heritage Archeology

What do Cahokia Mound State Historic Site in Illinois, Chaco Culture in
New Mexico, Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado, and Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument near Hawaii have in common? These places have each been recognized as World Heritage Sites commemorating our ancient cultural heritage. They share this distinction with the Greek Acropolis, the Italian site of Pompeii, and the Mexican city of Teotihuacan, rare places of such outstanding universal value that they are important to the whole world. More >>

Celebrate American Indian Heritage Month

November is Native American Heritage Month. For many people, archeology makes the distant past and its people into real, breathing communities not unlike their own. High school students in archeological field schools are learning just that, and are becoming connected with their ancestral heritage while gaining skills in science. More >>

Celebrate Heritage in October!

October reflects the diversity of heritage in the United States. Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month until October 15, as well as Italian American Heritage Month, Polish American Heritage Month, and Filipino American Heritage Month all month long! More >>

Back to School with Archeology

It’s back-to-school time! Are you a student who wants to learn more
about archeology? Maybe you’re looking to extend your summertime
experience on an archeological dig in the off season? Or you’re
a teacher who wants to draw on archeology for your classroom? The National
Park Service has lots of great resources for everyone headed back to class
this fall. More >>

Celebrate Archeology

Happy Birthday, National Park Service! Come celebrate with us fee-free!
August 25 is Founders Day—an important event for American archeology.
Beginning in the late 19th century, preservationists worked to save archeological
sites. Their efforts led to the Antiquities Act of 1906, which led to
the creation of many national
monuments and has had a major impact on national parks into the 21st
century. More >>

Celebrate Summer

July marks the foundational event in America: the signing of the Declaration
of Independence in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on July 4. Archeology at
Independence NHP
has uncovered evidence of the places where history happened, and artifacts
that describe the activities of the people who witnessed it. More
>>

Celebrate National Oceans Month!

Celebrate National Oceans Month in June by visiting archeological places
that tell about the historical relationships between people and the sea.
Whether along the shore or completely submerged, archeology demonstrates
that Americans and their visitors have drawn on the ocean for fun, transportation,
trade, and food for thousands of years. More >>

Celebrate National Park Week!

National Park Week is April
17-25, 2010. Entrance is free to all 392 NPS sites, including parks with
archeology! Where will you go—the mounds at Hopewell Culture? Kingsley
Plantation at Timucuan? Community gardens at Manzanar? Montezuma Castle?
Get started on the Visit
Archeology page, or find
a park near you. Experience why the national parks are America’s
best idea! More >>

Civil War Archeology

The months of March and April saw key events in the American Civil War,
including its beginning and end. Archeology documents events at these
place, and the 150th anniversary of the war begins in 2011—so start
your planning to visit the battlefield parks now, armed with knowledge
about archeological finds! Find out about upcoming events at the American
Civil War homepage. More >>

Celebrate African American History Month

Archeology tells us more about the historic contributions of African
Americans to the nation—both as individuals and as groups—at
places and through objects. Experiences of slavery, freedom, uplift, and
political and intellectual involvement are integral to the American story.
Learn more by exploring NPS parks across the nation, either in person
on online. More >>

Celebrate Great Outdoors Month!

Traveling the great outdoors this summer? Here are some great archeological
places to visit.

Canada has a host of world
heritage sites where archeology has revealed information about the
past. The Great Lakes region is home to the earliest known metalworking
sites in North America, and Maine's museums and parks host archeological
sites and collections documenting over 12,000 years of history—and
that's just the beginning! More >>

It's time to get out and enjoy your National Parks!

Want to gain a new perspective on our nation's history? Explore the many
exhibits and programs about archeology, a field that offers many things
for you to see, do, and visit. Join those
who already find archeology interesting
and useful. More >>

Celebrate New Archeological National Historic Landmarks

Three new National Historic Landmarks – Miami Circle, New Philadelphia,
and Ludlow Tent Colony – were recently designated. The NPS
National Historic Landmark (NHL) program recognizes places throughout
the United States for their exceptional value or quality in telling the
story of America. Sites designated as NHLs are automatically listed on
the National Register of Historic Places.
Archeological NHLs are designated for providing
significant new knowledge about the past or the potential to provide information.
Oftentimes this information cannot be known any other way except through
archeology, as the three new NHLs attest. More >>

Celebrate Benjamin Franklin’s Birthday

Happy Birthday, Benjamin Franklin! Franklin would have turned 303 years
old on January 17, 2009. What was everyday life like in his Philadelphia
household at Franklin Court,
now part of Independence National Historical Park? Would archeology show
his love of beer, experiments with electricity, pithy sense of humor,
and keen intellect?

Franklin Court was the site of a mansion built under Franklin’s
direction between 1763-65. Archeology found evidence of his tinkering
proclivities, such as contrivances to carry away steam and smoke from
the kitchen, ducts and dampers to heat the house, and a refrigerating
pit to keep foodstuffs cool. Artifacts attest to household activities
and preferences. Franklin lived at the house in 1775-1776, a key period
in the development of America as a nation independent from Great Britain.
He also lived at Franklin Court from 1785 until his death in 1790. More
>>

November is National American Indian Heritage Month (2008)

November is National American Indian Heritage Month. Look to archeology
in the National Parks to trace the history and heritage of American Indians
from ancient to modern times. Here are a few ideas to get started.

Over 10,000 years ago, America's earliest immigrants crossed the Bering
Land Bridge. Evidence remains of these earliest Americans' eating
and hunting in artifacts such as wooden bowls, projectile points, and
cutting implements. Check out the park's online
collections by doing a word search for "archeology" to see for yourself
evidence of their everyday lives. Learn more about the earliest Americans
through an online exhibit, a
theme study, and publications.
More >>

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month

Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates the rich cultural heritage of peoples
of Spanish, Hispanic, and Latino origin. Archeological sites reveal many
different aspects of Hispanic heritage, from early exploration and commerce
on the high seas to the building of mission churches and much
more.

Celebrate Archeology

The National Park Service celebrates its
birthday on August 25, which is Founders Day. Where would national parks
be without archeology?

Well, for one thing, visitors wouldn't learn the full story of Jamestown
Island, where we just celebrated the 400-year anniversary of the first
permanent English settlement in America. Nor would we be able to visit
the accurate reconstruction of Fort
Vancouver, center of the fur trade and the colonization of the northwestern
United States. More >>

Visit Archeology

Going on vacation this summer? Throw a hat, a trowel, and some elbow
grease into your suitcase, and you will be ready for any archeological
adventure that comes your way!

If you're visiting the midwest, take a gander at Ohio
Archeology, a travel guide to the ancient mounds, canals, and other
historic sites that are the state's archeological heritage. More
>>

May is Preservation Month

Spring is a good time to think about new discoveries! Many states celebrate
archeology during the months of April and May. Go to the Society for American
Archaeology's state archaeology month page to find out when your state
celebrates archeological discovery.

May is also Preservation Month, when we pay special attention to our
historic heritage and the places that represent it. More
>>

April: Archeology and Our Environment

April is full of good reasons to turn our attention to the great outdoors.

March is Women’s History Month

Of course, and that’s exciting and inspiring history, but there’s
a lot more to women’s history, too, and some of it is waiting underground.
More >>

Celebrate African American History Month

African American history is American history, from the earliest colonial
settlement at Jamestown
to the American
Revolution to the struggle for Civil
Rights. Archeology helps to reveal this history and celebrate African
American achievements.

Long before the Civil War ended legal slavery, African Americans carved
out places on the landscape, creating a legacy for all of us today. More
>>

Celebrate World Heritage Archeology

What do Cahokia Mound State Historic Site in Illinois, Chaco Culture
in New Mexico, and Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado have in common?
Here’s a hint: they share this distinction with the Greek Acropolis, the
Italian site of Pompeii, and the Mexican city of Teotihuacan. These places
have each been recognized as World Heritage Sites that commemorate our
ancient cultural heritage. A few rare places are of such outstanding universal
value that they are important to the whole world. World Heritage recognizes
and celebrates our common humanity: our common struggles, ambitions, achievements.
More >>

December: North American Archeoastronomy

Wonder at the immense and unfathomable universe connects people in every
time and every place to each other. We share a wonder at the movement
of the sun and moon and invent ways to track them, making calendars so
that we might plant and harvest and carry out ceremonies at opportune
times. We see shapes in the stars, creating stories about the beings we
find there.

Ancient astronomers throughout the world found ways to track celestial
movements and to predict the year's important events, including winter
solstice which (in the northern hemisphere) is the first day of winter
and the shortest day of the year. More >>

November is National American Indian Heritage Month (2007)

For hundreds of generations American Indians have called this land home.
In some places, the achievements of ancient cultures are visible on the
landscape in surviving architecture of stone,
adobe,
or earth. More often,
the remains of materials are underground and out of sight. In either case,
the methods and techniques of archeology are used to illuminate the past
and help us better understand it. More >>

October is Archeology Month

Over 15 states celebrate archeology during the month of October. Why?
For the sheer fun of it! Go to the Society for American Archaeology's
state
archaeology resource page to find out when your
state celebrates archeological discovery. More
>>